Business Ethics Case Studies and Selected Readings

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Designed as a business ethics text for use in management or business law courses that use a case study approach, this text provides real-life examples of ethical dilemmas, poor ethical choices, and wise ethical decisions from newspapers, business journals and the author's experiences as a consultant and board member. This text not only assists in fulfilling the AACSB's curriculum requirement but exposes students to a critical issue - the strong sense of values that is essential to principled and successful leadership in the business world.

Preface

ix

Introduction

xiii

UNIT 1 Foundations of Business Ethics: Virtue, Values, and Business

1

(38)

Defining Business Ethics

2

(7)

What Is Business Ethics?

2

(1)

The Areas of Ethical Challenges

3

(1)

Recognizing Ethical Dilemmas: The Language

4

(2)

The Categories of Ethical Dilemmas

6

(3)

Resolutions of Business Ethics Dilemma

9

(24)

Is Business Bluffing Ethical?

9

(10)

Ethics Without the Sermon

19

(11)

Other Models for Resolution of Business Ethics Dilemmas

30

(3)

Applying the Foundations of Business Ethics

33

(6)

Trying Out the Models and a Resolution Approach

33

(1)

Barbara Walters and Her Andrew Lloyd Webber Conflict

34

(2)

The Rigged Election

36

(1)

The Loan Officer and the Debtors

36

(3)

UNIT 2 Foundations of Business Ethics: What Is the Role of Business in Society? Shareholders vs. Stakeholders

39

(52)

The Role of Business in Society

40

(15)

The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits

41

(6)

The Ethics of Responsibility

47

(4)

Principles of Social Responsibility in Business

51

(2)

Schools of Thought on Social Responsibility

53

(2)

Stakeholder vs. Shareholder Accountability

55

(4)

Stakeholder Theory and the Coase Theorem

55

(2)

Appeasing Stakeholders with Public Relations

57

(2)

Applying Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Theory

59

(32)

SUVs, the Environment, Safety, and Stakeholders

59

(8)

Ice-T, the Body Count Album, and Shareholder Uprisings

67

(5)

Guns 'n Social Responsibility

72

(11)

Shock Jock: Howard Stern

83

(1)

Dayton-Hudson and Its Contributions to Planned Parenthood

84

(1)

Bayer, Anthrax, Cipro, Patents, and Half-Price

85

(5)

The Chicago Inner-City School Experiment

90

(1)

UNIT 3 Individual Values and the Business Organization

91

(44)

Personal Values in Business Decisions

93

(8)

The Parable of the Sadhu

93

(6)

The Moving Line

99

(2)

Personal Honesty

101

(6)

Puffing in the Resume

101

(2)

Radar Detectors and the Law

103

(1)

The Ethics of Looking Busy

103

(1)

The Employment Application Lie That Haunts the Applicant

104

(1)

Travel Expenses: A Chance for Extra Income?

105

(1)

Do Cheaters Prosper?

106

(1)

Trust and Employment

107

(14)

General Motors, Volkswagen, and the Traveling Executive

107

(2)

The Sale of Sand to the Saudis

109

(1)

The Compliance Officer Who Strayed

110

(2)

Espionage and Job-Hopping

112

(1)

The Glowing Recommendation

113

(1)

The Ethics of Confrontation

114

(7)

Taking Advantage

121

(14)

Napster: The Ethics of ``Peer-to-Peer File Sharing''

121

(4)

The Dot-Com and Finance

125

(6)

Nestle Infant Formula

131

(4)

UNIT 4 Individual Rights and the Business Organization

135

(92)

Corporate Due Process

136

(4)

Ann Hopkins, Price Waterhouse, and the Partnership

136

(4)

Employee Screening

140

(4)

Handwriting Analysis and Employment

140

(2)

Health and Genetic Screening

142

(2)

Employee Privacy

144

(9)

Employee and Technology Privacy: Is the Boss Spying?

144

(6)

The Athlete Role Model

150

(1)

Drug Testing of Employees

151

(2)

Sexual Harassment

153

(7)

Seinfeld in the Workplace

153

(2)

Hooters: More Than a Waitress?

155

(1)

Navy Top Guns and Sexual Harassment

156

(4)

Diversity, Equal Employment, and Affirmative Action

160

(23)

The Benefits of Diversity---Doug Daft, CEO of Coca-Cola, Inc

160

(5)

On-the-Job Fetal Injuries

165

(2)

Denny's: Discriminatory Service with a Smile

167

(3)

Texaco: The Jelly Bean Diversity Fiasco

170

(11)

Hunter Tylo: Pregnancy Is Not a BFOQ

181

(2)

Whistle-Blowing

183

(24)

The Options for Whistle-Blowers

183

(1)

Beech-Nut and the No-Apple-Juice Apple Juice

183

(7)

NASA and the Space Shuttle Booster Rockets

190

(4)

Dow Corning and the Silicone Implants: Questions of Safety and Disclosure